How to install an IPFS node

Note: this little guide is part of a series of guides to learn about and develop on IPFS. Click here to go to the main page of the guide.

To install an IPFS node, the instructions are very simple.

First of all, just go to the Release page on Github of the IPFS project and select the ipfs-desktop file followed by version number and operating system.

Once the file is downloaded, simply run it to proceed with the installation.

Once installed, upon first run the operating system will give a security warning. On MacOS, just go to Settings -> Security & Privacy and select ‘Open Anyway’ after opening the lock in the bottom left corner of the window.

A new banner will appear informing that IPFS is trying to listen to events on the external network: you must click OK and continue, otherwise the app will not be able to communicate with the network to send files synchronized locally.

The IPFS Desktop app is very intuitive: no additional configuration is needed in the settings. The Status tab indicates the connection status.

In the Files tab you can view files downloaded from the IPFS network and it is also possible to add files to IPFS, a bit like I did for the research on IPFS and non-fungible tokens.

The Explore and Peers tabs serve to explore content on IPFS and other users who are sharing their resources for the good of network decentralization.

Installing IPFS Desktop is just the first step towards decentralization! :rocket: